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Dropped Ceiling Renovation
If a drop ceiling is present in your house, chances are it was the last resort for construction or renovation purposes. Drop ceilings and ceiling tiles are rarely a first a choice for residential applications. That being said, sometimes there are just no other options available to a home owner or a weekend renovation warrior. These types of ceilings from rails to tiles can start to show their age after a few years, and after ten years they can become downright ugly. Fortunately, these types of ceilings can be rejuvenated with just a little elbow grease and a little bit of time, and some paint. Sure, replacing the tiles is also an alternative. However, that option can get pretty steep once you start counting up the amount of tiles you are going to be needing. Even at three dollars a tile a twenty tile ceiling tunes it at more than sixty dollars plus tax. Of course the rails, grid, or support structure will still attended to as well, which can easily push the price of a simple renovation into the hundreds of dollars. Once you factor in time to remove the old ceiling, dispose of that scrap, and install a new series of tiles, things get downright nasty. What could take a weekend, can become a week long affair. But the great thing about home renovation is the options that are present, and if the replacement option is selected more power to you, and good luck on your endeavor. For the most part the metal rails and support structure can be easily painted just about every color. The trick is to select a paint that sticks well to metal. Rust-O-Leum works great, as does just about every other type of enamel available at the hardware store or home improvement center. Obviously, before attempting to paint the grid or support structure remove the tiles or slide them out of the way. Be sure to adequately tape off around the edges so as to get any of the paint on the walls, as this can be a bear to remove. Also, note that since the ceiling is high, the majority of the work will be done with your hand above your head, so get those shoulders loosened up. A standard paint brush will do the trick for most drop ceiling tracks a one inch brush will suffice. Once the area is taped off, the grid can be painted. Once the grid is taken care of, the real work begins. That means removing the tiles one at time. If any concern exists over the tiles fitting back in their spaces remember to number them on the back in marker. Numbering the ceiling tiles will keep from loosing track of which piece went on which end. Either as the tiles are removed or once they are all removed, give them a good cleaning. A clean surface will bond much better with what ever type of paint is selected. The nice part about ceiling tiles of any type is they generally will take just about any type of paint imaginable. From latex to enamel they all seemed to work pretty well in all of the ceilings I have renovated. Prior to painting use light weight spackle to fill in small holes or any light damages, trying your best to match whatever pattern is present on the tile. Once the paint dries the repair will be almost invisible. Once the tiles and rails are dry (dry is critical or else everything will stick together), reinstall the tiles according to the numbered system that is present. The most difficult part of the task is workspace. As a large amount of ceiling tiles that covered the ceiling also covers the same square footage of floor. Therefore, working on about five tiles a time is a great way to accomplish this very simple home repair. Once the ceiling is repainted, it will look great. At least, until it is time to do the whole task all over again.